


A strange little family

by Ameko



Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: Adoption, Attempt at Humor, Aziraphale and Crowley Live Together (Good Omens), Aziraphale and Crowley in Love (Good Omens), Character Death, Domestic Fluff, Family Dynamics, God Ships Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens), Godparents Aziraphale and Crowley (Good Omens), Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Misgendering, Other, Resurrection, Tags Contain Spoilers, They adopt humans, only at first
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:06:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23587357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ameko/pseuds/Ameko
Summary: After the Apocalypse that wasn't, Aziraphale and Crowley continued to live their life like before, while spending more time with each other.And one day, a human entered the bookshop and that was the beginning of a new story.
Relationships: Aziraphale & Crowley & Original Child(ren) of Aziraphale and Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13





	1. The beginning

**Author's Note:**

> I want to thanks two people: TheManicMagician for the beta reading, thank you so much for your time, and AerisHikari for reading and encouraging me to post this story.
> 
> And I want to thank each and every one of you who put a kudo or a comment on this work.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this ride with me.

Today was a good day.

Well, technically, one could say that everyday since the Apocalypse didn’t happen was a good day, because it  _ existed _ .

But, technicality aside, it was objectively a good day. The sun was shining, something that didn’t happen often in November, even more so when one lives in London. It wasn’t too cold, probably because of the significant lack of wind, and a delicate chocolate scent was floating in an old bookshop.

One could say that a bookshop would be a boring place to start a story. But this wasn’t any bookshop.

This one was located in the Soho area and was owned by an interesting person.

Well, person wasn’t really the good word to describe the gentleman with blond curls and his funny tartan bow tie. 

Angel, however, could probably describe him better. Because, he was. An angel. A principality, in his earthly territory. Reading at his desk, a cocoa near his manicured hand, Aziraphale was happy. 

He had found happiness a few years ago, a bit more than twenty now, just after preventing the Apocalypse from happening. It didn’t happen in a night, no. It had been a long process, freeing himself from decades of abuse from his ex-bosses and accepting his feelings for a certain demon.

Said Demon was currently sleeping in quite a strange position on Aziraphale’s couch, his head almost on the floor and his legs tangled with the ugly tartan blanket that the angel draped over him just before settling himself.

If you asked the Principality, he would have said that it was a really good day. No customer dared enter his shop since he opened, he had the love of his life enjoying the fire in the hearth and a good nap, he had a good book in front of him and nothing to report to his office. He could preserve the perfect temperature for his cocoa and the perfect texture of the marshmallow without fretting about performing ‘frivolous’ miracles (that one was truly a relief, in his opinion).

So, of course, it couldn’t stay like this, right?

The door of the bookshop opened, making the little bell jingle lightly and the demon wake up.

Crowley readjusted himself quickly, because sleeping with his mouth slightly open wasn’t stylish at all and only his angel was allowed to see him in non-dashing position, no one else.

Aziraphale only sighed. In the first years after the Non-Apocalypse, he was always stressed whenever the door opened. He was sure that, at one point, Heaven or Hell was going to catch up with what had happened during Crowley’s and his own trial and would be coming for their heads.

But it never happened in all those years and now the angel knew that it was only a potential customer. Not really anything comforting, truly, but at least it wasn’t a deadly threat. (Don’t say that to Aziraphale, because for him, selling a book is almost as painful as being discorporated. Almost.)

Not looking up from his book, the angel only said to the person in the shop:

“I’m at the desk, if you need anything.”

He could still be cordial. After all, most of the time, the ambiance of the place was enough to make most humans to run away.

Not this one, though.

“Thank you…” answered a young female voice from the entrance.

That made the angel take a look. The female human had long brown and curly hair, à soft face and pronounced bosom, was making her way inside the shop, looking at the old books without daring to touch them.

Aziraphale could feel the love and reverence coming from the young woman and he found himself smiling. He knew she wasn’t a customer. He just knew it. It happened, sometimes. People who needed help were send in his way and he always made sure that they were well before leaving.

Getting up, his book forgotten for the moment, he made his way towards the woman, smiling.

“Hello dear. Can I help you with something?”

The young lady jumped in surprise, making the demon on the couch snicker. Aziraphale shushed him with a look, as the customer answered:

“No, no, it’s… it’s okay, thank you. I’m just… looking. You have quite an impressive collection, sir.”

Pride was a sin and angels weren’t supposed to sin, but the compliment was genuine and Aziraphale wasn’t any angel.

“Oh, thank you! It took time, but I’m proud of it. I’ve read them all. Well. Almost.”

“Really? Woah, that’s… a lot of reading.” she answered, awed.

Her eyes drifted back to the books and she smiled gently.

“I love to read. I could spend my day reading, if I owned a place like this .”

Crowley couldn’t help it, he laughed at that, making her jump a bit.

“Yeah, that’s exactly what he’s doing, aren’t you, angel?”

“Oh, shush, you old serpent.”

Aziraphale was blushing a bit, but the bickering seemed familiar and fond, making the lady smile gently as the demon waved his hand like it was nothing.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m going to make some tea.”

And with that, he was up, and he disappeared in the back of the shop, probably in a small kitchen, as the woman imagined.

“Please, don’t listen to him, dear. Would you like to have a cup of tea with us?” Asked the Principality gently, while guiding the young person to the couch.

The blanket was neatly folded on the arm of the couch, even if the guest didn’t remember to have seen any of the two owners of the shop doing it. Anyway, she found herself on the softest sofa she ever sat on, across from the blond man and soon enough, she also had a cup of tea in her hands and the tall and slim goth sat on the other side of the couch.

It was a strange situation for her, but strangely enough, it didn’t seem to be that strange in her mind. A true miracle, some could say. 

She took a sip of the tea and sighed with contentment.

“Is it to your taste, dear?” Asked the angel, smiling gently.

“It’s perfect, thank you, sir…” she answered, with a small voice, as if she was intimidated.

Behind his dark glasses that didn’t really leave his face, Crowley rolled his eyes.

“You, girl, what’s your name?” He asked, curious.

The girl in question tensed a bit at that and Aziraphale took a good look at her. He felt stress coming from her in waves; she was questioning herself about their intentions. So, to reassure her, he said with a gentle voice:

“You don’t have to answer us if you don’t want to, dear. We can respect the privacy of a young lady like you. It’s not like you know us, after all, it’s okay to be suspicious.”

She looked at him and sighed. Whatever argument she had in her head was finished, apparently.

“I’m… I’m not… a lady… or even a girl… I don’t…”

She sighed and the two occult entities exchanged a look before Crowley started smiling, putting his hand on the shoulder of their guest.

“Hey, it’s okay. Boy then? Or no gender? We don’t care, at all. Hell, I change mine whenever I feel like it!”

The young person dared to look at him with surprise, before smiling shyly.

“...Thank you… I… I’m not a boy either, I… I prefer to use they as my pronouns.”

Crowley shrugged, amused.

“Perfect. So, what your name then?”

Aziraphale watched with a fond smile as the human relaxed minutely.

“I changed it recently. My real name was… too girly. I didn’t like it. I found one that is for either boy or girl. Eden.”

Eden smiled toward their tea, without looking at the two-man shaped entities, who seemed surprised. That… was something.

If you asked him, Aziraphale would have told you that it was surely a sign from the Almighty.

But nobody asked him and it was probably for the better.

The angel smiled brightly, literally glowing a bit around his head.

“That’s a beautiful name, dear. It quite suits you.”

“Yeah… I agree with him, that’s quite a name. Original. That’s cool. And you choose it yourself? I’m impressed.” Teased the demon, gently.

Their young guest was now blushing but still smiling, relaxing completely now while taking slow sip of their tea.

“...Thank you… That’s… nice. I really appreciate it. What are your names, if I may ask…?”

The demon slid down on the couch, smirking.

“Anthony J. Crowley, but you can call me Crowley.”

“And I’m Aziraphale. I’m the one who owns the shop. Crowley just like the couch.” Added the angel.

Eden laughed a bit at that, since Crowley seemed to take offense at the statement. But it was nice. They were feeling… at home, really. Not like their home, but the feeling of being somewhere that you can call home. Like you belong here and that you were meant to be here.

But at some point, their tea was finished, and it was time for them to leave. So, they stand up, smiling shyly up at Aziraphale.

“It was nice. The tea and… everything. Thank you, really.”

The Principality got up too, taking the cup in his hands to put it down before smiling at them, guiding them toward the door.

“It was a pleasure to have you here, dear. Feel free to come back whenever you want. Knock if the shop is closed, you don’t know if I’ll be here or not.”

They nodded, grateful and feeling like if they were on a cloud.

“Okay… Thank you, sir. Goodbye. Goodbye Crowley!”

They waved their hand with a blush on their cheeks at the demon, who answered with finger guns.

“See you soon, kid.”

And with that, Eden left the shop. Aziraphale closed it just after, and went back to the demon, who was smirking.

“Eden, huh?”

“I guess that must be a sign, my dear. Oh, it’s been a long time since we last adopted a human.” Answered the angel, as he served them some more tea.

“Twenty years, really. We kind of adopted the Them, the book girl and her boyfriend, after the Apocanope.”

“It wasn’t really a decision at the time. And, before, we adopted our own humans, we weren’t really sharing the responsibility. Well, except for Sergeant Shadwell, but we didn’t know.”

Crowley smiled at that, getting back to sitting down almost normally.

“True. So… You want us to adopt them together, then? Like with Warlock?”

Aziraphale rolled his eyes, taking his place near his friend while drinking his tea.

“It won’t be like Warlock. But, yes, I think they’re for both of us. The Garden was the place where we found each other, it’s rather poetic to have our first real adopted human to be named after it.”

“Yeah, yeah, if you say so angel… So. May I tempt you to a nice dinner? I think a new sushi restaurant opened a few blocks away recently, we could bring some takeaway here and drink a few bottles. What do you think?”

The demon was looking at him with a devilish grin. His glasses slid down his nose, revealing his serpent eyes to the Principality. 

Said Principality wiggled on the couch, smiling brightly. 

“Temptation accomplished!”

They chuckled, before getting up. They had a nonofficial adoption to celebrate, after all.


	2. Bonding

Before we continue this story, two things need to be cleared up.

Eden was, first, the name given to the Garden where God created all life. It was an old name, whose definition was literally ‘place of delight’. It was meant to be Heaven on Earth, a place without any pain or hate, where only love was supposed to blossom.

It was the place where Crowley and Aziraphale met, on the wall of the Eastern Gate, on the day of the first rain ever. It was a name with a great meaning, for them.

Eden was, also, an old name given by some parents to their children. It was mostly a boy’s name, but some girls wore it too and, as such, it was view as mixed first name, like Morgan, Kim, or Max.

It was the name that a young human chooses for themselves as they discovered that their gender wasn’t what their parents thought at their birth.

It was the name of something important for the three of them. That’s probably why the angel and the demon wanted to take the human under their wings.

Probably. Because it had  _ nothing _ to do with an Ineffable Plan that  _ Someone _ could have been playing right now.  _ Nothing _ at all.

Anyway. The next time they saw each other, it was a few days after their first meeting.

Like often, it was raining. Wind howled between the buildings, carrying away the dead leaves and cleaning the roads.

The bookshop was closed today. Crowley was spread in the couch, his head on Aziraphale’s lap as the angel played with his growing red hair, using only one hand as the other one was holding a book.

The two occult being were enjoying silence and each other’s presence when a knock on the front door made them move. They weren’t really expecting any visitors today, after all, but they could already feel who it was.

“Can you get the door for them, my dear? I’ll whip up some cocoa, they’ll need it, poor kid, with that weather.”

“Yeah, sure angel.”

Crowley got up first and made his way toward the door, opening it with a smirk.

“You’re soaked good, kid.”

Two green eyes found his yellow ones, even if the latter was behind shades, and a smile appeared on the wet face of the human.

“Hello Crowley… Can I come in…?” asked Eden, with a little voice, like the first time.

“Sure, come in. Don’t touch any books, though, or the angel is going to kill you.”

The demon let them enter as they laughed a bit, pushing them gently on the shoulder to get them near the fireplace.

“Here. Warm yourself a bit, you’re freezing. Give me your coat, before you drip water everywhere.”

“Sorry…”

The demon shrugged like it didn’t really matter anyway, taking the wet cloak from the human. He went to hang it before going back on the couch with a loud sigh.

Aziraphale appeared at this moment with a smile and a cup of hot cocoa, giving it to their guest.

“Hello Eden. It’s nice to see you again. Drink that, dear, it’ll warm you up. What were you doing outside on that weather, anyway? Shouldn’t you be home?”

Eden had barely the time to thank their host, smiling shyly while taking a few careful sips from the hot drink, before they found themselves being sat down by the shop owner on the sofa.

“I had… things to do outside… And when I saw that you were here, I wanted… you know… to try…? I hope I don’t bother you though, you’ve been really nice to me and I don’t want to intrude or anything.”

Crowley smiled, waving his hand up and down.

“You’re no trouble, lad, or I would have kicked you out the first time. I don’t bother with people that annoy me. If you’re here now, it’s because we’re happy to have you with us.”

“That’s true, dear.” Said Aziraphale. “We enjoy your presence; I can assure it to you. You can relax and take a deep breath.”

Eden laughed quietly, and thanked them. Their cup was warm in their hands and they smiled before drinking a bit of the hot chocolate, eating a marshmallow in the process.

As they settled down, the angel took the lead of the conversation.

“So, my dear Eden, do you have a favorite book? You told us that you liked reading and so do I. I wonder what taste you have in that matter.”

“Oh. Hmmm… That’s a good question, actually, let me think…” answered Eden, taking their time to think about it. “I really like Young Adult literature, but I think my favorite is Alice in Wonderland. It was my first book and I love it so much.”

They smiled; their look lost in some nostalgia about it. Aziraphale nodded, getting up to go look around before coming back with a book, putting it on his guest’s lap. 

Eden looked up at him, surprised, before examining it. They suddenly realized what it was, and they exclaimed:

"No way! A signed first edition?! Woah, that's… How…" 

They were careful, not wanting to damage the precious version of their favorite book. 

"Aziraphale is not a common name… How… How could Lewis Carol know you?" 

Their eyes made contact with the green of the angel's, like if they could find an explanation about it. But the principality only smiled, amused. 

"I have my ways… Do you want it?" 

Crowley, who was only watching the exchange, seemed surprised at that. A fond smile found its way to his mouth. 

After all, it was not everyday that Aziraphale was ready to give away one of his precious books. 

Even without knowing that, Eden was anxious, and it was visible. They tightened their hands around it before giving the book back to the angel. 

"I… I really appreciate… But I can't accept it. It's a valuable piece of collection and I can't make sure it'll be safer in my home than here…"

Aziraphale took the book back and nodded. 

"If you're sure, dear. But you can always borrow it whenever you want to read it, if you'd like. I trust you with my books." 

"And believe me, it's not something that he would say lightly, kid." added Crowley, a hand on Eden's shoulder. 

"... Thank you…" whispered the human, feeling emotional suddenly. 

Their smile was huge, and they wiped their face before any tear could wet their cheeks. They could feel something warm blossoming inside their chest, something that they never felt before meeting the two man-shaped beings. It was something good and something they would like to be able to feel forever.

After that, they started to talk. About books and movies, about food and wine. The human had a lot of opinions about things like that, and it was fun to be able to argue about the best chocolate dessert or the best place to read a book or to have a date. Aziraphale and Crowley had also a lot of stories to share and Eden was happy to listen to them, even if some didn’t seem to make sense, like those about the past, like centuries ago. They weren't old enough to have really meet Jesus or Shakespeare after all, right?

Nevertheless, it was entertaining and they spent a great afternoon and evening together.

But every good thing has to end at one point and Eden finally had to leave. The demon and the angel escorted them toward the door, smiling gently. Crowley had his arm around Aziraphale’s shoulders, as the latter was taking Eden’s hands in his.

“My dear, you’re always welcome, you know that. Feel free to come back whenever you want. Maybe next time we could go eat somewhere together, if you want? I know a place where their chocolate lava cake is just scrumptious, I’m sure you will love it.”

Eden laughed at that, before smiling gently.

“I’d love too. Maybe one day I could try to make you crepes, too. My grandma was French, I have one of the best recipe in the world.”

Crowley rolled his eyes with a smile because of course his angel would love it.

After a few seconds of silence between them, Eden reached suddenly forward to embrace them both in a hug. A bit awkwardly, the two occults creatures reciprocate gently, before letting their adopted human go. They waved at each others until Eden disappeared at a corner. After that, Aziraphale closed the bookshop and they headed out to have a nice dinner, just the two of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thanks two people: TheManicMagician for the beta reading, thank you so much for your time, and AerisHikari for reading and encouraging me to post this story.
> 
> And I want to thank each and every one of you who put a kudo or a comment on this work.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this ride with me.


	3. What is a waste for someone can be a treasure of someone else

Eden had a few other meetings over time with their adopted godfathers. It was always sweet and good, always loving and warm.

Crowley was like a fun uncle. Once Eden felt a bit more relaxed with them, they always played tricks together, mostly to Aziraphale but also to his customers. Even if the angel scolded them, they knew it amused him, especially when it made the people inside his bookshop run away.

Aziraphale was more like a sweet grandpa. They would cook together, sometimes, or just read on the couch. He always made sure that Eden felt good, giving them cocoa, candies, and book to read. One time, the young human even felt asleep, their head on the angel’s lap, while he was reading out loud.

But, even thought Crowley and Aziraphale wanted to know more about their adopted child, they knew nothing about their life.

Oh, they knew everything about their tastes, of course, and they knew some of their favorite activities, but each time they tried to ask questions about Eden’s family or friends, they were faced with a wall and Eden’s silence for at least an hour.

They discovered a bit of the truth a little more than one week before Christmas.

It had started snowing a few days before and the last time they had spend time with Eden was before the snow started to stay on the roads.

That night, they were returning from a sweet little Italian restaurant with the Bentley when they saw someone sitting on the steps of the bookshop.

Crowley sighed, not knowing who it was because of the hood the person was wearing, but Aziraphale seemed to recognize them since he almost flew from the car to go toward the human.

The demon got out to join his angel, but he went still a few feet from them.

The Principality was kneeling in front of the hooded figure, shushing them gently. They were crying silently.

“Kid? Eden, is that you?” asked Crowley, trying to not sound too distressed.

He really didn’t like when someone was crying. He didn’t know how to deal with the situation.

Aziraphale looked up at him.

“Can you go inside and light the fire, Crowley? Poor dear will need a cocoa too, they’re freezing. Go, we’ll come inside soon.”

The demon didn’t argue more, getting in the bookshop, leaving the door open before snapping his fingers to make sure everything was in place. The fire started in the hearth, a hot chocolate was waiting on the small table in front of the couch and several blankets were waiting for Eden on the sofa.

A few minutes later, Aziraphale helped the shivering human to sit on the couch near Crowley, draping them with two blankets after getting rid of their coat. Eden was silent, a few tears still rolling on their cheeks from time to time. The angel was just sitting on their right, stroking their back with smoothing motion. He exchanged a look with his husband, a little lost.

That’s when the demon noticed something that made him narrow his eyes and literally hiss like the snake he was.

“What isssss that?!”

He gently took Eden’s chin to make them turn their head toward him. Now that their face was illuminated by the fire, Crowley was fully able to see the damage. Their lower lip was cut and blood had dried on it and a shiner was appearing around their left eye. Their left cheek was also red and a bit swollen. Eden was avoiding eyes contact but let Crowley examine them without a sound.

The demon wanted to lash out so much at that instant but a look toward Aziraphale was enough to stop him and make him take a deep breath to stay calm.

It was no use to be angry right now. He could do it later, when he would have someone to blame and to punish.

“…Does it hurt?” he asked instead, letting their chin go.

Resolutely silent, Eden only shook their head. An obvious lie, but Crowley decided to let it go for the moment.

Aziraphale waited a bit before giving them the cocoa.

“Drink, darling. It’ll warm you up. I’ll go fetch the first aid-kit.”

The angel got up and disappeared on the stairs to his flat, above the bookshop. He really wanted to just use a little miracle to make their godchild better right this instant, but their weren’t aware of Crowley's and his own true nature. So, human medicine would have to do. And if the next morning they will find themselves all better, it would only be because Aziraphale was good at tending to injuries. Nothing else.

When he came back, Crowley was pacing in front of the fireplace, hissing quietly. Probably because Eden was still silent and he couldn’t do anything to help them.

“My dear, sit down. You’re upsetting them.” Said Aziraphale, before getting on his knees in front of Eden.

Eden just shook their head again, making Crowley sigh. The demon sat near the human, his hand on their shoulder, while the angel started to clean and take care of their face.

“Ssssorry. I’m just worried about you. Who hurt you? You know you’re ssssafe here, we’re going to take care of you, don’t worry. I just need a name and I swear to you that you’ll be safe from whoever did that to you.”

Horror filled his heart as he saw Eden suddenly burst in tears again. They were shaking with sobs and the two man shaped entities decided without a word to just wrap them in a hug. Aziraphale let his hand run in their long brown hair as he gently shushed them while Crowley sighed, tightening his arms around their shape, caressing their arm.

It was a bit awkward, but it helped their godchild to feel at least a bit better.

After a few minutes, tears were dry and their face was white with cream, a little smile on their lips. The cocoa was finished and they were just relaxing against Crowley, on the couch. Aziraphale was on his own chair, near them, still running his hand on their hair.

“Would you like me to call your parents, Eden? I can let them know where you are and you can sleep here tonight. How does that sound?”

Eden smiled gently toward the angel, before shaking their head, answering with a little rough voice – it happened sometimes, after a long period where they wouldn’t talk:

“No need… They won’t care… Can… Can I really sleep here…? I won’t bother you, promise… I’ll be gone before you open the shop if you want…”

Crowley tensed but stayed silence, clenching his teeth. Aziraphale shook his head.

“It’s okay, dear. You can take the couch, for tonight and we’ll talk tomorrow morning. We could go brunch together, when you’ll wake up, how does that sound?”

“That’s seems… nice… Thank you. Thank you very much, both of you…”

“ _ Nkg _ … Don’t fret it, kid.” answered Crowley, not blushing at all.

An hour later, Eden was tucked on the couch with the two blankets around them, sleeping peacefully with the help of a little miracle that one of their godfather performed, even if both of them would denied it, for different reasons.

Crowley and Aziraphale were watching them sleep silently, before the demon let an angry hiss past his lips.

“Thossssssse bassssssstards needssss to be taught a ffffffucking lessssssson…”

“We don’t know if it their parents who hit them, my dear. We just know that they won’t care enough to be worried about where their child is tonight.” said the angel, without looking at him.

“I can find out eassssssily… It won’t take much…”

“You are not going to do that, Crowley. First, you don’t know where they live. And like I said, we don’t know who hurt Eden. We’ll wait tomorrow and ask them again during the brunch. When we’ll have an answer, we’ll see how to act.”

“…You’re going to avenge them yourself, aren’t you?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, my dear. We should let them rest. You must be tired yourself. Time to go to bed.”

Crowley sighed before smiling. He bent toward Aziraphale to put a kiss on his cheek, but the bastard choose that moment to turn his head and then their lips meet sweetly. And then, they went upstairs, hand in hand, for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thanks two people: TheManicMagician for the beta reading, thank you so much for your time, and AerisHikari for reading and encouraging me to post this story.
> 
> And I want to thank each and every one of you who put a kudo or a comment on this work.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this ride with me.


	4. Smitting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for this chapter, check the end note to see it (it's a big spoiler)

The next day, in the morning, Crowley was the first one to go down from the flat. He smiled at the sleeping figure on the couch and made sure that the fire was still lit before taking a seat on Aziraphale’s chair. The angel was still sleeping, the hedonist, so the demon wanted to be sure that Eden wouldn’t be alone when they woke up.

He was just taking the first sip of his newly miracled coffee when the door of the bookshop opened and closed with force.

That… was strange.

Eden was starting to wake up after the loud sound but Crowley made a sign to them to stay silent, getting up to face the intruder.

He tried, and failed, to appear calm when he saw Gabriel standing on the middle of the bookshop.

“Well, well. Isn’t it the famous Archangel  _ fucking _ Gabriel! What are you doing here,  _ Gabby _ ?”

The demon smirked. He had a reputation to conserve, after all. Eden was looking at him with worry but they stayed silent as the Archangel made his way toward them, shielded from his view by the back of the couch.

“Crowley! What a… nice… surprise. I’m here for that traitor of Aziraphale so, please, move out of my way, before I smite you like the insect you are.”

Gabriel was smiling. That same fake smile he was wearing during the trial. The same smile he had when he said to the angel to die. Crowley was shaking with disgust and anger.

“You can’t kill him. Hellfire can’t harm him. Why are you here?”

“I don’t need Hellfire, demon. I found something else.”

The Archangel had something in his hand, now that Crowley was paying attention.

“…Issss that a celesssstial blade?!”

The snake inside of him wanted to flee as fast as possible. One hit with that blade and he could die, for real, like with Holy Water. If Gabriel used it on Aziraphale, the angel would disappear, definitely.

“I won’t let you…”

Crowley was now standing between the Archangel and the stairs, human forgotten. Gabriel didn’t know they were here, after all, and he needed to protect the love of his life.

“Move, demon. Hell will come with your own punition soon enough, but right now I’ll punish the traitor myself.”

The demon knew he couldn’t win this fight alone. He needed to make time. Aziraphale would wake up soon and the two of them could probably take down Gabriel. Probably. He hoped, at least.

“Why now?! It’s been twenty years, for Go- Sat-… for Somebody’s sake!”

“Celestial blades are rare. Like the flaming one your boyfriend gave away stupidly. It took me way too much time to track this one down. I was almost afraid that you would have left and that I would have to track  _ you _ down too, but fortunately for me, you were both too stupid to have done that.”

Crowley clenched his teeth and took a step back as Gabriel took one forward.

“Now, move. It’s your final warning, demon.”

The air was getting heavy. Gabriel was really preparing a smiting. Crowley knew that it wouldn’t kill him, just discorporate him. And now, with his connection in Hell, it probably would take a while before he could have a new body. If they didn’t kill him before that. Anyway, it would let plenty of time for Gabriel to execute Aziraphale and he just couldn’t let him do that.

Gabriel sighed like if he was regretting it, even though Crowley knew it wasn’t the case.

“Whatever. Say hello to Beelzebub for me.”

A wild and scary smile appeared on his face before the lightning struck down. He only had a few seconds to move before it was too late.

He never moved.

“NOOOOO!”

He felt himself stumble backward, having been push out of the way. He just had the time to register that Eden was in front of him, panic on their face. The human hadn't know what would happen, they just wanted to protect their godfather, even if it was with their own body. 

They exchanged a look as the demon fell on his behind, on the stairs, and then the bookshop was illuminated by a bright white light, making him close his eyes.

When he opened them again, Gabriel was still facing him, but his eyes were wild open and his mouth agape.

“Oh God…” he muttered.

Finally, Crowley looked up to see Eden.

His heart went cold and his breath stopped as a lump was stuck in his throat.

In front of him was standing a salt statue representing Eden. The face of the human had the same panicked expression that he saw before closing his eyes.

The statue was Eden. Gabriel had smitten them instead of him.

And, from his expression, it wasn’t what he intended to do. That was understandable. After all, God had forbidden the smiting of humans after Sodom and Gomorrah.

Crowley wanted to kill him, right here and right now. But he didn’t have the time to act. The celestial blade fell on the ground as the Archangel disappeared suddenly and the demon fell on his knees. He didn’t try to hide his tears.

Aziraphale found him like that, a few minutes later, in front of the statue. The angel didn’t say anything, putting his hand on his love’s back as he started crying himself.

They had the human for a month, but they loved them like their child. And it pained them so much.

Later, Crowley would tell him what happened. He would explain how Gabriel wanted to kill him for good. How he tried to gain time, to find a solution. How Eden was listening and watching him and how he didn’t pay attention to them before it was too late. And they would cry some more.

But right now, they could only watch as a light, who seemed to have appeared from the ceiling, surrounded the salt statue like a blanket before making it disappeared.

From the young human known as Eden, nothing remained. Everyone, their parents like the others, forgot about them like if they have never existed. Everyone but a demon, an angel and the archangel who killed them. 

Oh, and Someone else too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for this chapter: major character death
> 
> I want to thanks two people: TheManicMagician for the beta reading, thank you so much for your time, and AerisHikari for reading and encouraging me to post this story.
> 
> And I want to thank each and every one of you who put a kudo or a comment on this work.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this ride with me.


	5. Christmas

A week later, it was Christmas.

Aziraphale and Crowley had planned for a small party and exchange of gifts. Everything had been set up in the flat above the bookshop for them and Eden.

They even had present for the human.

It suddenly felt stupid. They should have gotten rid of everything after what happened. But they just couldn’t find the heart to do it. It was still painful for them to think about their human.

As midnight approached, on the 24th of December, the demon and the angel were drinking wine on the couch, in front of the decorated tree. They were both drunk, remembering with fondness and sadness what it had felt for them to have this human in their life.

“You know… You know, dear, it really feels like… Like, you know…!”

“Whaaaat, angel?”

“Like they could just… open the door and be here!”

“Yeah… We had a plan, you know. A big… big plan… to messsss with you. We… we wanted to… offer you a falsssse book… And tear it apart in… in front of you, before giving you the real one!”

A bitter laugh resonated on the flat.

“You… old wily snake…! That… that would have been… _demonic_ …!”

“Yeah! That was…! That was the point! Demonic gift! Oh your face, angel… Would have been precious…!”

“Well… we had a gift for you too…”

“Wha… What, really?”

“…’course, you fiend. They… They helped me to choose a new CD for your Bentley… Best-of that bebop music you like so much…”

“Not bebop, angel…”

“A… Anyway! I still… I still have it, you know? We could still… exchange those gift…”

“…Won’t be the same… I had… I had a big plush for them… A biiiiiig panda plush… So they could hug it at home, ya know?”

“Hmm-hmm… That’s a nice gift…”

“Not _nice_ …”

“I had tickets for the new Alice in Wonderland spectacle… They told me they liked theatre…”

“…They would have loved it…”

“I think so, dear…”

A sigh.

“…More wine?” asked one of them.

“More wine.” answered the other.

And before they knew it, midnight struck. 

A bright light appeared in the room, making them cover their eyes and groan in discomfort.

When they were able to see again, they looked around, having sobered up without really meaning to. Nothing seemed to have changed

Well, except for a strange basket on the ground, under the Christmas tree.

Crowley went really still suddenly, hissing quietly. Aziraphale looked at him, a question on his lips. But the eyes of his love told him better than to ask: in that state, the serpent could only hiss as an answer. So, the angel stayed quiet and got up to go and fetch the basket.

It was heavy, like if it contained several books – or wine bottles – and covered up, so he couldn’t see inside.

He brought in on the small table in front of the couch, where Crowley was still paralyzed. Gently, the angel went to open one of the lid, but he let it fall again just a second after, stilling like the demon at his side.

“Oh dear God…”

“Angel, is that…?”

“It is…”

“Well… _shit_ …”

They stared at each other, lost. Then, Crowley took a long breath in for courage and opened the lid again, completely that time.

Inside of the basket, a baby was sleeping.

“If it’s a second Antichrist, I’ll lose it, angel.” whispered the demon.

“I’m sure that it’s not…” answered the angel, even though he had absolutely no clue whatsoever.

Somewhere, Someone was smiling happily, hoping that they would like the present.

Slowly, Crowley took the child in his arms, because everybody knew he had the most experience with babies after all.

This one was small with chubby cheeks and a few red curls on their little head. If he didn’t knew better, the demon could have swearer that the kid was a mix between Aziraphale and him. But it was impossible. Right?

The child yawned before opening their eyes and everything around them seemed to stop. The two man-shaped entities were faced with something really ineffable. The kid had big and soft light green eyes, like the angel, and snake pupils like the demon.

Trying to understand what they had before them, Aziraphale looked up and down on the baby, only to find tears on his eyes. He put his hand on the soft grey blanket around the kid, caressing the letters stitched on it in gold and nifty style telling them the name of the child.

“Crowley, dear… I think… I think it’s our child…”

“Our…?! What… What are you talking abo-…”

The demon stopped dead in his track of thought, reading the name as well before taking a shredded breath.

“ _Eden_ …”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thanks two people: TheManicMagician for the beta reading, thank you so much for your time, and AerisHikari for reading and encouraging me to post this story.
> 
> And I want to thank each and every one of you who put a kudo or a comment on this work.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this ride with me.


	6. Futur's plan

God didn’t play poker with the Universe. She played an ineffable game of Her own invention that only She understood.

The fact that Crowley and Aziraphale had found each other had been part of Her plan. After all, She needed to make sure that the Apocalypse wouldn’t happen, even if everything else seemed to go in that direction. And only those two could prevent it from happening, by being so bad at their job and by being on Humanity’ side since the Beginning.

It had been also part of Her plan to make them meet the human known as Eden. She had planned everything to make sure that they would have a happy family life. Eden needed them in their life to grow and live outside of a toxic environment with violent relatives and Her children needed Eden to have a child and start a real family, to understand that they could finally loosen up.

She hadn’t planned for Gabriel to go and try to punish Aziraphale again, nor had She planned for the smiting of Crowley.

And of course, She hadn’t planned for Eden to save Crowley by taking the blow themselves instead.

It really wasn’t part of the Plan. So, for the first time since the Flood, She involved Herself and took care of everything.

It hadn’t been easy. After so much time without creating life, the exercise had taken a whole week. In the Beginning, seven days had been enough to create everything on the Universe and Now seven days had been the time She took for just one soul.

It wasn’t only saving it. The body was destroyed completely and even She couldn’t do anything about that. She couldn’t create a new human either, or She would have risked making another Jesus. So, She decided to make a non-human life from the soul of Eden.

She created the perfect body for them and their future parents: a mix of both, like for humans. Then, She made the body into the form of a baby that would need to grow, because She figured it would be more fun to watch a demon and an angel to try to raise them from the beginning.

It was truly Ineffable, after all.

Then, carefully, She had draped the baby with Her love and a blanket, pushed the soul inside the vessel, and sent it to Earth, to the flat above the bookshop in Soho.

It took seven days to create them from the damaged soul, but She was happy with the result. And She just knew that Her children would be happy too.

In the bookshop, love and happiness were floating around the new parents. Eden hadn’t made a sound since they opened their eyes, but they were smiling, mouth open without any teeth.

Crowley just couldn’t let them go, smiling like if he was in his own Heaven.

“Look at you, kid… You’re beautiful…”

Aziraphale was close, caressing their little hand with his thumb.

“They’re so tiny… I don’t understand how it’s possible. They died, you saw it happen. How can they be back, as a baby and with a different body? They didn’t looked like that before.”

Crowley groaned, rolling his eyes.

“Angel, just enjoy the moment, you’re thinking way too much for me right now.”

But the bookshop owner wasn’t done yet.

“I mean it, dear. It shouldn’t be possible without the involvement of a Greater power. And that would mean that… That  _ She _ was involved.”

That made the demon snicker.

“Yeah, yeah… Like if God would just made us a baby just like that, you know, to be  _ kind _ .”

“Well, how do you explain it then? It’s obviously a sign from Her. That we did our part in the Plan. And that mean that Eden is, somehow, part of that Plan too.”

Crowley hissed, taking the baby close to him and away from the angel.

“Eden will  _ not _ be another Warlock or Adam!”

Aziraphale signed, gently stroking his arm to settle the demon.

“It’s not what I meant, dear. Eden is important for me too. I’m just concerned about the ‘why’s, and the ‘how’s.”

The serpent took a look at the child, who was now yawning and closing their eyes, drifting into sleep peacefully.

“…I know… I’m just worried. They deserve a happy life. A peaceful one. And I’m not sure if we… qualify for that.”

Aziraphale looked at him with love, kissing his cheek gently.

“We’ll do our best, then. Like human parents. We’ll learn and do better. For them. For  _ our _ child.”

Crowley peaked at the angel, hope in his eyes.

“They’re really… ours, then?”

“I think so, dear.”

They exchanged a smile. Their child. Their kid. That was quite a future. Eden didn’t seemed human anymore, not with those eyes, so that would probably mean that they would stay together until the End.

What a beautiful idea.

In the next hour, both angel and demon used miracles to adapt their home for the baby. Once Eden was settled, they sat down again in the couch, cuddling together while watching the child sleep.

“…Angel?”

“Hmm? Yes, dear?”

“I think… Maybe it’s time for us to move away from here…”

Aziraphale sighed.

“…I think you’re right. Even if we have Her blessing, it doesn’t mean that Heaven or Hell won’t come against us again, like Gabriel did…”

“Where should we go, then? We could try Tadfield. Adam’s shield is probably still in place, it could hide us…”

“You won’t be happy in a village like this, dear. You need a big city where you can make some mess and annoy humans. Like London.”

“I could learn, you know. For them. I could try a village for a few decades.”

“Or we could call Anathema and ask her if she would know about a city with that kind of shield. It wouldn’t be the same, of course, but we did spend quite a long time in England. Maybe it’s time to move in another country. With more sun.”

“Hmmm, that would be great, yeah…”

“And even if it’s not the case, we could still go to Tadfield for some times, as you say. But there is no need to rush that decision.”

The angel put his head on Crowley’s shoulder, the demon draping an arm around him.

“I’m sure it’ll be lovely. Just the three of us, in our own home. You could have a room just for your plants and I could have a room for my books, without any threat of potential customers. I can’t wait.”

Crowley smiled at his angel, kissing his head.

“Yeah… Lovely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thanks two people: TheManicMagician for the beta reading, thank you so much for your time, and AerisHikari for reading and encouraging me to post this story.
> 
> And I want to thank each and every one of you who put a kudo or a comment on this work.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this ride with me.


	7. Changing

The best thing about an occult – or ethereal – baby was probably the lack of needs. They didn’t need to eat like humans, or to be washed, or to poop. And so, Eden mostly slept the first week of their new existence.

It was a little unnerving, at first. Aziraphale and Crowley were afraid to fall asleep and risk to not been ready for the child, so they took turns watching over the kid, the other one doing his activities as quickly as possible to come back to their little family.

During the week, Aziraphale had called Anathema to wish her a good Christmas, like he done the last twenty years, but also to ask for advice. Both about how to take care of a baby and to where they could go to hide Eden’s aura.

Of course, she had cooed, happy for them, and promised to take a look at it as soon as she could.

The next day, they had a destination.

After that, Crowley did most of the work. They needed passports and moving service because if they just miracled their way to their new home, it would have been all for nothing, since both Head Office would have been able to track them back. So, they needed to use the human way.

After a long debate, both angel and demon had found the perfect house for them. It would be a big cottage, just outside the city and on their own private beach, near the sea. It would be perfect to fly during the night, to swim during the day and to break havoc in between dinners at the restaurants.

As Aziraphale packed his books, he pouted, still a bit nervous about their destination. Crowley was playing peek-a-boo with a very awake Eden, who was giggling adorably on his lap.

“Won’t it be a bit too… obvious?” asked the angel, closing another box.

“What would be obvious?”

“You know…  _ Los Angeles _ ? Really? Plus, it’s known as the city of sins! Won’t it be a bit too much for Eden?”

“Angel, we talked about it already. It’s either that or Tadfield. And everything is ready. LA is the perfect place to hide for us, the  _ sins _ as you said are the perfect camouflage to hide Eden’s angelic and demonic aura.”

The demon looked up toward Aziraphale as he continued.

“We’ll find them a good school, once they’ll be old enough to go; you’ll have enough different places to indulge in food for a century without going back two times in the same restaurant; and I’ll be able to mess with people as much as I want without even being noticed. It’s  _ perfect _ .”

Aziraphale signed. He knew it, of course, but he was still anxious about it.

“…I suppose…”

“Stop fretting, angel, and come here.” Said Crowley with a fond smile toward their child.

The bookshop owner made a rather dramatic groan, before coming to the couch with them, smiling at the kid.

“…I quite love their eyes. As beautiful as yours, dearest.”

“ _ Ngk _ …” was the answer he received, glancing up at a blushing demon. “ _ Angel _ …! Don’t…”

“It’s true, my dear!”

The bastard  _ wiggled _ , quite proud of himself, even though he was smiling innocently. Crowley signed, kissing the forehead of Eden before putting them in Aziraphale’s arms.

“Here, take them a bit.”

He got up and stretched. It had been a few hours since Eden had opened their eyes and they were still full of energy.

“I hope they’ll take my liking in naps, or we’re doomed.”

“I’m sure you’ll teach them all of your evil ways, you old serpent.” Said the angel, as he rocked gently the baby, making them smile and half close their cute green snake eyes.

“Between the two of us, they’ll become quite impressive. An hedonist with enough malice and knowledge to be just unstoppable when they want something. And we were worried about the  _ Antichrist _ . They’ll be so much worse.”

He laughed at that, caressing Eden’s chubby cheek with a smile.

“Isn’t it right, my little imp? You’re going to be the end of the World with a smile like that. And we’ll be so proud of you.”

Aziraphale was looking at him with so much love at that instant that the demon almost regretted that he wasn’t wearing his sunglasses at the moment. But he could do without them. He had years of training behind him now, after all. He could survive a few more years.

At least, he hoped so.

“Okay, I have to take care of a few things in my flat. I’ll bring the last of my plants here before I sell it. The faster it’s done, the faster we’ll be ready to go. The guys will start moving our things next week so maybe start to think about the books you want to keep with you for the flight.”

Crowley was trying to stay cool and calm about the situation, but Aziraphale could see right through him. The demon was as stressed as himself and dealing with everything was giving him the feeling to be in control. He needed to feel in control.

“Maybe you could take something to eat in your way home?” asked the angel with a smile.

“Yeah, sure. Something you fancy?”

“Your choice, dear, I trust you.”

Crowley blushed but nodded silently, putting his glasses on his nose to hide his eyes.

“Sure… Okay, see you soon angel, bye kid.”

The demon flew into the young night, leaving his family behind for a couple of hours. He needed to prepare his car for the travel too, and it wasn’t as easy as he was thinking at first. He almost wanted to change his mind and go to Tadfield, but…

Their future home was perfect. Their future in America seemed perfect. And they would be safe from their ex-Head Offices at least until Eden would be old enough to be able to defend themselves, even if their parents didn’t intend to leave them alone before a few centuries.

Crowley couldn’t help but smile, thinking about the future. He was really looking forward to see what would happen once Eden would be able to speak and start asking questions and do some mischief. Aziraphale will be mad at him once he starts teaching the kid bad words and the picture in his head made him feel butterflies in his stomach.

He accelerated.

The faster he finished, the faster he could come home. And home was really somewhere he wanted to be right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thanks two people: TheManicMagician for the beta reading, thank you so much for your time, and AerisHikari for reading and encouraging me to post this story.
> 
> And I want to thank each and every one of you who put a kudo or a comment on this work.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this ride with me.


	8. Wings

Life was really an interesting thing.

Five years had passed in a blink of the eye. An angel and a demon had settled in LA just a few months after having a baby in their life and now they were looking for a school for that child.

Oh, it wasn’t always easy. Eden had been a quiet baby and it took them two years before saying their first word. They took three years to start eating and sleeping more like a human – Aziraphale had made them understand that, without eating on a regular schedule, humans would notice something was up and, well. Once they had found out what foods Eden liked, it was easier for everyone.

But even if they liked to eat, sleep was something else. They would often have nightmares and wake up screaming or crying.

If it was a scream, both of their parents would come in an instant to their room and they would stay up together, or they would help Eden to go back to sleep. But if it was just crying, the kid would stay alone until they made their way to their parents' room or go back to sleep by themselves.

Funny enough, they started walking pretty fast and Crowley would often find them hiding in corners or little space to surprise the angel. Even though he would deny it, he was very proud of Eden and offered them candies to reward little jokes and bad behavior.

Of course, like in their human life, they loved reading. Aziraphale had taught them as soon as possible how to read so they could spend hours snuggled together with a book in their hands and a cocoa ready for them. They loved kids' stories, of course, and the ex-bookshop owner made them read some classics, like Alice in Wonderland and The Little Prince, both books that Eden liked in their human life.

Until now, Eden hadn’t seemed to be able to do any miracles. The angel and the demon knew that the kid had wings in the other plan but since the latter didn’t seem to care about it, it was not something that they really feared.

Well, until that day.

As said before, Aziraphale and Crowley were bickering, like often, on an important subject. That said subject was about if Eden should go to a public school or a private one. Aziraphale wanted to choose the public one so they would be able to meet a lot of different people from different social class but Crowley wanted a private one.

If it was to mess with rich kids or to send them in an environment that seemed safer, he wouldn’t say.

They stopped when a scream came from Eden’s room.

Their home was divided into two parts. The first one was a ground floor, with kitchen, living room, Aziraphale’s office and library, a door to the garage and Crowley’s plant nursery and a patio door to the terrace with a way to the beach. The second one was a first floor – or a second one, weird American system – with the master bedroom, a bathroom, a guest bedroom, and Eden’s bedroom and playground room. Both floors were linked by stairs and an open hall on the upper floor to link all the doors.

So, when they heard the scream, the angel and the demon were on the kitchen island, on the ground floor, but they made their way to their child’s room in a second, ready to fight anything that made their kid frightened.

They both stopped dead in their track as they saw Eden’s wings for the first time.

The young one was facing the mirror, two white wings unfolded behind their back. But they had no feathers, it was more like bat-wings, with shiny scales on the skin around the bones, reflecting the sunlight and making them look like tiny rainbows. They had tears in their eyes, looking at themselves with their little hands on their mouth.

Upon seeing their parents, Eden turned on themselves, one of their wings knocking the big panda plush - plush that Crowley had bought five years ago for them when they were still human -, while the other one brushed against the glass.

“Daddy…” they sobbed with their tiny voice.

Crowley was hugging them the next instant, sitting on the floor to be at their height, shushing them gently with a hand running on their long and curly red hair.

“It’s okay, kid, it’s okay… It’s normal… You’re okay… Breath, darling, it’s okay…”

Aziraphale made his way inside the room soon after, sitting on his own legs, on the rug. He watched as the demon was still hugging the child, letting them cry as they needed while trying to reassure them.

The angel put his hand between the base of the wings to run it on the kid’s back, slowly.

“We’re here, Eden, don’t worry. It’s only your wings, you have nothing to fear from it.”

Arms around Crowley’s neck, the child turned their head a bit to watch Aziraphale.

“Why… Why aren’t they like… like yours, father…? Or like daddy’s…? I’m… I’m scared… I don’t want to be an ugly monster…”

Crowley growled on their hair.

“Who called you a monster, lad?”

“…The other kids… the kids that stay only for the summer… they saw my eyes and… they said that…”

The demon wanted nothing more than to track them right now and force them to apologize… But he knew it wouldn’t do any good.

“Those kids are quite ill-mannered. You are  _ not _ a monster, my child. You are unique, a gift from the Almighty, and you were made by Her hands. Those wings of yours are truly magnificent, Eden, I can swear it.” solemnly declared Aziraphale.

That seemed to calm them down, even though some tears were still rolling down their cheeks.

“…Really…? But… They don’t have any… feathers… I… I hoped… I wanted to have… feathers… like you…”

Crowley kissed their forehead gently.

“Feather or not, your father’s right. They’re beautiful, like you, and if I hear anyone say the contrary, I’ll hunt them down and I’ll rip their face off.”

Eden chuckled at that sentence, both because of their father’s horrified face and Crowley’s smirk. They also knew that, to some extent, their dad would do just as he said, if needed.

“I don’t think father would like that, daddy…” they whispered, like a secret.

The demon raised an eyebrow, smiling a bit and playing along in the fake conspiracy.

“Huh? You think so? Hmm, what should we do then? Do you have an idea, imp?”

Aziraphale rolled his eyes but smiled. Eden had stopped crying and they seemed to relax, so he could indulge them for a bit.

The kid looked at the angel before whispering to Crowley, near his ear:

“We could not tell him?”

Aziraphale bit his lip to not start laughing at that as the demon nodded with fake concerned, like if he was thinking about it.

“Hmmm, that could do, yeah. Any other ideas?

“…I have some chocolate left in my secret box… We could bribe him?”

At that, both parents started laughing.

“Oh Hell, they know you so much, angel!” snickered Crowley, once he found his breath again.

Aziraphale only shook his head with a foud smile.

“You’ll be the death of me, both of you.”

He got up, readjusting his clothes.

“Well. I think I’ll make the preparations for tonight, then?” he asked, still smiling.

Eden looked him before changing their focus toward Crowley.

“We’re eating out again?”

The demon shook his head, getting up as well but keeping the kid in his arms.

“Not really. We’ll wait for the night, and then we’ll go out to teach you how to use your wings. To control them. It could be a problem if you show them to humans, so you’ll need to learn how to keep them hidden.”

Eden had their eyes wild open, gapping.

“I’m… I’m going to fly? Tonight?”

“That’s right, my little imp. I’ll make you something to eat and then we’ll start the training inside. And then, tonight, we’ll go flying above the sea.”

The kid had stars in their eyes. They smiled and hugged their dad with a giggle of uncontained happiness.

“Yeeeeah! I’m going to fly!”

Crowley smiled fondly before heading back to the kitchen. Aziraphale had already cleaned the table from all the school flyers and was nowhere to be seen, probably making some miracles to make sure that no one would be near the house once the night would start to fall.

The demon got to the counter and put Eden’s on their behind on that said counter, smiling at the kid.

“Okay, my little devil. What’s on the menu today? Want something in particular? Your father isn’t looking so you can have anything. We need to celebrate after all.”

Eden giggled, hands on their mouth as their wings made a little flap.  _ Cute. _

“I want crepes! With chocolate and whipped cream!”

Crowley groaned and rolled his eyes, even if the smile didn’t leave his mouth.

“You’re so much like your father… Making me indulge in all your desire of gluttony.”

But, even with some complain for form, the demon took the time to cook the crepe. They always have some batter ready in the fridge so it only took minutes for the kid to have their plate.

Eden took the crepe in their hands and ate it without worrying about the chocolate around their lips or on their chin. Or even on their fingers. Or on their clothes.

Crowley laughed a bit but let them do as they wanted. Eden knew how to eat properly, after all, so a little bit of dirtiness wasn’t going to hurt, mostly because a certain angel won’t see them act like that.

After two more crepes, the child’s stomach was finally full and the demon miracled them clean before taking them back in his arms.

“If Aziraphale finds you with chocolate everywhere, we’re both going to go on the naughty step again. So let’s avoid that, alright?”

Eden nodded, smiling, before struggling in his arms to go back down. Once on their feet, they looked up at Crowley, their light green snake eyes locked on the yellow ones of their dad.

“You’ll teach me now? How to hide my wings?”

The demon put his hand on their head and ruffled their hair gently, smiling.

“Sure thing, imp. Folding and unfolding them at will. Let’s go.”

He put his hand on their shoulder to guide them toward the living room. With a little snap, every furniture was tucked against the nearest wall, knowing better than to stay on the demon’s way. Then, he sat on the floor, taking Eden’s hands on his while the kid stayed upright.

“Okay darling. You’ll see, it’s pretty easy. First, just try to extend your wings. It’s like doing it with your arms. We’ll do it together, alright?”

The demon unfolded his own raven-like wings and made some moves, stretching them slowly.

“See? Like that kid. Come on, your turn now."

Eden seemed reluctant, at first, but nodded and tried too. It was different from the arms, unlike their dad had said, but they managed to do it. 

Crowley smiled, proud. 

"That's my child. Okay, now, fold them. Same thing but… inverse." 

As before, he showed them how to do it, waiting patiently as the tiny bat wings folded themselves in Eden's back. The kid had their tongue stuck out in an attempt to focus and Crowley had to bit down a coo because damn that was adorable. 

"That's great kid. Continue. Just, focus on the fact that you want them to go back inside your back." 

After a few more seconds, Eden's wings disappeared and they exhaled loudly. They looked at their dad with a smile. 

"I did it." 

Crowley hugged them the next instant, smiling proudly. 

"Yes you did my darling. Good job." 

He kissed their forehead, making the child giggle. 

"Okay. Now, we're going to do it a few more times, just so you'll remember how it feels like. Just be careful to not do it to much time because it drains a bit of your energy each time. It's not a problem at home but outside it can be." 

Now aware of that, Eden practiced for a few more times with Crowley encouraging them with a game. 

When Aziraphale came back, a few minutes later, he smiled, watching as Crowley and Eden were playing tag, making their wings appear when they were the one being ‘it’ and making them disappear when it wasn’t the case.

And if he miraculously had a camera in hands to take a few pictures, or even a video, it was totally unforeseen. Totally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thanks two people: TheManicMagician for the beta reading, thank you so much for your time, and AerisHikari for reading and encouraging me to post this story.
> 
> And I want to thank each and every one of you who put a kudo or a comment on this work.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this ride with me.


	9. Flying

After a few more hours, it was finally night time. 

The little family got on the beach, leaving their shoes at home and walking barefoot until they got in front of the water. There, Aziraphale turned toward Eden and smiled at them.

“It’s time. Are you anxious, Eden?”

“A bit, father…”

“Don’t be, my dear, it’s going to be fun.”

He kneeled in front of them, taking their hands. Crowley was standing behind them, watching in silence.

“What we are going to do is quite simple. You and I are going to fly above the sea for a few minutes while your dad is going to wait on the ground. If anything happens, he will be over to you in an instant, so you have nothing to be afraid of. Even if you fall, your dad will catch you. He won’t let us fall, never.”

The angel exchanged a smile with the demon, who was trying to play it cool even if his eyes were shining a bit.

“Are you ready to try?”

The kid nodded after a few seconds. Aziraphale smiled gently and got up, unfolding his wings and watching Eden do the same.

“Alright. Take my hand, sweetheart, and just try to flap your wings like me.”

The child took the angel’s hand, and then Aziraphale started to flap his own wings, staying in front of Eden but just a few inches above the ground. He was smiling gently, the sand around them moving because of the wind he was making.

“Go on, Eden. You can do it, I believe in you, my dear.”

Eden nodded slowly, before flapping their wings. It took them a few attempts to make it, but they got up to Aziraphale, who guided them above the water. If Eden fell, at least they wouldn’t hurt themselves on the ground.

“You’re doing great! Keep going, dear, it’s perfect.”

He was really encouraging and patient, now letting the kid guide him. They were sticking their tongue out again to keep their focus, forgetting soon enough to look where they were.

When they finally got the moves correctly, they smiled at their father, proud of themselves.

“Look father, I’m flying!”

“Yes you are, my sweet darling. Look around you now, you must see the view!”

He was smiling, but anxious. At any moment, Eden could panic and fall. Plus, now, they were pretty high in the sky. He could see Crowley watching them nervously on the ground.

Eden took a look around and their face morphed into amazement.

“It’s… It’s beautiful!”

From this high, they could see LA’s light, as the life that was still going on during the night. And, truly, it was magnificent.

Not wanting to risk a fall, Aziraphale kept Eden’s hands on his own, moving slowly to bring them closer.

“Now that we’re high, let’s explore a bit, alright? Just a little tour and then we’ll go back to your dad and have a cocoa, just the three of us.”

Eden smiled, like a kid in Disneyland. They did just as the angel had said. Aziraphale was a bit worried that Eden would freak out once they realize how high they were, but it didn’t happen. What a relief.

After half an hour, the child started to feel weak. Aziraphale caught them in his arm, as they yawned. He smiled, kissing their forehead gently.

“Time to go back home, isn’t it?”

Eden only nodded, their forehead resting against the shoulder of their father, sucking their thumb like a baby.

“Can you fold your wings, sweetheart? It’d be easier if you can do it now, but it’s okay if you can’t.”

Eden looked up at him, only whispering :

“They’re too heavy, I can’t move them now… I’m sorry…”

The angel shook his head, caressing their cheek gently.

“It’s alright. We’ll try later. Just, hold on tight to me, okay? I’ll get us back down. You’ll try landing by yourself another day.”

Eden nodded again, holding Aziraphale with one arm around his neck, the other arm occupied because they were still sucking their thumb. Their wings were a bit of a dead weight, but the angel didn’t mind. After all, they weren’t that heavy for him, and neither was Eden. He just carefully wrapped his own arms around the child to not hurt them, landing carefully on the ground.

Once on the sand, Crowley joined them, smiling toward the kid with a proud look. He kissed Aziraphale on the lips, quickly, before caressing Eden’s head.

“You’re good, kid?”

“Hmm-hmm…” came as an answer.

“I think they’re exhausted, poor dear. Time to go to bed.” said the angel, as he made his way toward the house.

Crowley opened the door for him, before following him in Eden’s room. He grabbed the blanket to help his angel as he put the kid on the mattress. They covered Eden, then, and kissed them on the head, after having helped them to position their wings to not hurt themselves.

“Sleep well, my child. We’ll talk about it tomorrow, and we’ll take that cocoa for breakfast.”

“Okay… goodnight, father.” smiled the kid.

As he got up, Crowley took his place to put his forehead against Eden’s one.

“You’ll have a good dream tonight, imp. We’ll play tag again tomorrow, with your father this time. If we team up, I’m sure we can beat him, what do you think?”

Eden giggled at that, smiling at the demon.

“You’re silly, daddy… We can’t beat father, even if we team up.”

Crowley laughed at that and kissed them on the cheek.

“You’re goddamn right, kid.”

“Crowley!” fussed Aziraphale at the dirty word, making the demon and the child snicker.

“Right, right, sorry. Time to sleep for you, little devil, and time for me to take a nap on your father’s lap.”

“ _ Crowley! _ ”

Eden put their hand on their month, giggling quietly as the demon got up to kiss the angel, taking the pouting face of his husband in his hands.

“Don’t fret angel, we’re going, we’re going. Goodnight kid, please sleep at least until the sun is up, I beg you. I need my beauty sleep, me.”

“I’ll try, daddy.”

“That’s my little imp. Goodnight, kid!”

He waved, taking Aziraphale with him, dragging him toward the door as the angel smiled to Eden.

“Have a lovely night, my dear.”

And then, they were out.

Eden smiled tiredly at the door, nibbling on their thumb gently as they slowly drifted to sleep, their wings covering their shape like a blanket.

And, indeed, they had a great dream that night, about playing tag with their parents between candy floss clouds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thanks two people: TheManicMagician for the beta reading, thank you so much for your time, and AerisHikari for reading and encouraging me to post this story.
> 
> And I want to thank each and every one of you who put a kudo or a comment on this work.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this ride with me.


	10. Learning the hard way

During the next few days, Eden learned how to fly by themselves. Mostly by playing tag, or any other games that Crowley could though about.

They tried to only do it outside. But Eden was still part demon and of course they  _ had to _ broke some rules once in a while. So, while Aziraphale was in his private library and Crowley was in the plant nursery, both doing their own favorite solitary activities, Eden was left to play in their room unsupervised.

And it didn't take long for them to get out of the room and to open their wings with a devilish grin.

It has to be noted that Eden was a very smart child. They had very wise and intelligent parents and they taught them well.

It was not because they were smart that it prevented them from making mistakes or doing stupid things.

Eden climbed on the guardrail, on the upper floor, extending their wings. They didn’t fear highs and they thought that they couldn’t fall. Willpower was something that Crowley used often and Eden wasn't his child for nothing. The kid was sure they couldn’t slip, so they wouldn’t.

Once they felt brave enough, they leaped into the void, their body reacting to the gravity by attracting them toward the floor. A few flaps of their wings and they were flying inside the house for the first time. They laughed happily, zigzagging between the furnitures and trying to not hit anything.

They felt free. Free like never before. It was the first time that they tried to fly by themselves. The other times, Crowley or Aziraphale were with them to watch them and make sure they were safe. And even if they liked the feeling, sometimes they just wanted to do whatever they wanted.

And right now, they wanted to fly until their wings felt sore and then let themselves fall into the big couch in the living room.

Thinking about that made them distracted just a few seconds and they didn’t saw the door of the angel’s office opening. He was reading at the same time and didn’t saw anything that happened. He just heard a loud  _ thump _ that made the door shook a bit, then another one and, finally, a cry. A pained cry.

Aziraphale gasped in surprise, closing his book, then the door, to take a look.

Eden was sprayed on the floor, face down. Their wings were in a strange position, surely one that hurted, if he trusted the muffled cry coming for his child.

“Oh, dear…” he whispered, horrified.

He kneeled in front of the kid, taking them in his arms, just before Crowley arrived in the room, ready to fight. 

Of course, like with a certain angel, he knew when Eden was hurt or in danger. So, he came rushing in the living room only to find their child crying in Aziraphale’s arms.

“Wha-... What happened?”

The angel took a look at his husband, clearly at loss. 

"I think they hit themselves on the door when I opened it. Eden, dear, you weren't flying inside the house, right?" he suddenly asked. 

He didn't got any answer, but the silence was enough. He sighed before carrying the child on the couch, making them sit upright. Their forehead was red and their wings were shaking a bit, probably because of the choc. 

Crowley came near them and snapped his fingers to heal them, before looking at them right into their eyes. 

"Eden. We told you before. No flying inside the house or unsupervised. Why did you do it anyway?"

He waited for an answer. As a demon, he encouraged a certain… bending of the rules. But some were for safety and he really didn’t want his kid to break those.

Eden sniffed, whipping their cheek with their sleeves, in an attempt to save themselves from the humiliation of crying for that. They knew the risk when they took it. Now, they needed to assume.

“...I’m sorry… I… I thought I could do it… I… I just wanted to try by myself… I won’t do it again…” 

Aziraphale signed before caressing gently their knees. Crowley nodded, happy with that answer.   
  


“Good. That’s good.”

“You’re still grounded, darling. We put rules because we think they are necessary and you still choose to broke it. So, no TV until school start, understood?” asked the angel.

Eden looked up at him, pained, but nodded anyway.

Crowley made a loud noise of appreciation before getting up and stretching himself.   
  


  
“Right. Let’s eat something then. Tomorrow, we need to buy a bunch of silly thingy for you, kid, for school, so no flying tonight and bed early.”

So, they ate, mostly in silence, then Eden was sent to bed. Crowley and Aziraphale still took the time to make sure they were tucked in comfortably, kissed them goodnight before letting them alone.

Eden stayed immobile for a while before getting out of their bed to go fetch their big panda plush. They put it in bed before wrapping themselves around it, tears in their eyes. The incident came back to them, replaying non-stop in their mind.

After all, it was the first time that they experienced pain since they came back to Earth as a baby. The angel and the demon had made sure of it. And pain was really something they didn’t want to try again anytime soon.

They finally fall asleep after an hour, promising themselves that they would never try to fly alone again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thanks two people: TheManicMagician for the beta reading, thank you so much for your time, and AerisHikari for reading and encouraging me to post this story.
> 
> And I want to thank each and every one of you who put a kudo or a comment on this work.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this ride with me.


End file.
